Comments on: Morning ticker: Will rank and file support Momentive pact?http://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/
Business, media, technology and more in the Capital Region and beyondFri, 31 Jul 2015 21:31:15 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2By: davehttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-25498
Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:22:57 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-25498New York CWA Local Dissenters Victimized by Union Terror; File Complaint
Submitted by Carl Horowitz on Fri, 05/28/2010 – 16:58
Email to friendPrinter-friendlyAnyone who believes labor unions have forsaken menace as a tool to be used against internal dissent hasn’t hung around Communications Workers of America Local 1101 lately. A civil complaint filed in Brooklyn, N.Y. federal court against the Staten Island-based union this past February provides apparently damning evidence that the labor organization is run by thugs and thieves. Salvatore DiStefano and Sebastian Taravella, union members and longtime heavy equipment operators for Verizon, allege they were continuously subject to harassment and violence after reporting an illegal union time-padding scheme to the Verizon security team. The pair is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

According to the complaint, DiStefano, an employee of Verizon’s Staten Island Garage, in the summer of 2007 was in the presence of a first-level union supervisor, Bob Rios, who told crew members that if they performed three “fiber to premises” jobs in a given day, they could falsely put in for a full day’s pay regardless of how early they finished. DiStefano openly refused to participate in this scam. He then voiced his disapproval to fellow union members. Taravella, also a garage employee, expressed the same view. In May 2008, the pair went to Verizon’s corporate security staff, informing them of the scheme. Corporate security, however, did not keep the resulting report confidential. Big mistake.

Outsiders might have seen DiStefano and Taravella as whistle-blowers; CWA Local 1101 saw them as rats. The union hierarchy proceeded to subject the pair to unrelenting abuse. Bosses brought them up on phony charges of “harassment” and “discrimination” against fellow members. As punishment, during or about November 2008 DiStefano and Taravella were terminated from employment at the Staten Island Garage and relocated to other garages, demoted in rank, and given “final warnings.” When the pair complained to union officials Pat Lascala and Richard Meltz, they allegedly were told, “You guys did it to yourself.” In March 2009, shop steward Manny Rincon allegedly put a dead rat in Taravella’s locker. A month later, union member Chris Tremble called DiStefano a “rat” while hitting his face and head, and leaving him with two herniated disks. DiStefano complained about the incident to union officials, who promptly accused him of “starting a fight.” DiStefano eventually was terminated in July 2009. In October 2009, a union member, Joe Sedita, threatened Taravella with death for allegedly getting a fellow employee fired. All the abuse took its toll. Taravella and DiStefano since have been undergoing counseling.

Union officials not only took no action against acts of wrongdoing, they openly encouraged them. In November 2008, the aforementioned Richard Meltz allegedly told members to “do whatever you want with those two guys.” And at an August 2009 garage meeting, two local vice presidents, Joe Macaleer and Mike Luzzi, told rank and file that Verizon was “having a lot of problems right now ‘due to a couple of troublemakers'” and that “We have to learn that we can’t call corporate security because we don’t want those people getting involved in our business.” Macaleer allegedly stated: “I don’t want nobody in this room to call corporate security any more. [And] I don’t care if somebody come to work with a gun saying they’re going to shoot people, you don’t say anything…we have a lot of problems here due to the fact there are ‘spies in the room.'” He then added, looking directly at the plaintiffs, “You know who you are.” Finally, the complaint alleges that Macaleer told members, “(W)e have to deal with these spies on a personal level, like take them outside of the yard, off the company property and off company time and take care of them, because we can’t be ratting each other out.”

These allegations carry more than a ring of truth. It is the nature of any racket to protect participants by creating a wall of silence and exacting vengeance upon those in their ranks violating it. Some 40 years ago New York City cops operated in this manner, inadvertently supplying the raw material for such movies as “Serpico” and “American Gangster.” All evidence strongly suggests that Communications Workers Local 1101 leaders operated an illegal featherbedding ring. That one or more Verizon employees may have taken part can’t be ruled out either. DiStefano and Taravella’s only crime was standing tall in the face of corruption and intimidation. Their lawsuit hopefully will yield a measure of justice for themselves and integrity for unions everywhere.

]]>By: shaftedhttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23557
Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:26:10 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23557people need to know the truth. i will loose 9 bucks an hour and i say lets walk.i will never ever agree to such bulls##t
]]>By: Hope4Unityhttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23509
Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:59:38 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23509Hoping for Union Unity — Stand strong — VOTE NO to what is not an “agreement” at all — it does not “heal” our families (who started using that word anyway?) It doesn’t pay our bills. We’re not extravagant people — but we do want fair compensation for the work that we do. (Mom of 2 — you don’t know what our families have had to deal with and your comment shows it.) MPM has done nothing shy of an attempt at Union Busting. Show them they lost — VOTE NO! The higher the percentage of people who see through the corporate corruption and greed, the more power we will have in collective bargaining. CWA has GOT TO GO — their lawyer sold out the families of the men and women who pay union dues — and the ‘corporate leadership’ (who couldn’t operate the equipment to save their lives) should all be fired for creating the present situation. The ‘agreement’ is a joke and an insult. Go buy some shoes — let’s WALK! (Don’t you think that July is a nice time to walk?)
]]>By: SICK OF THE B.S.http://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23448
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:19:34 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23448mom of 2 how long have you worked at your job!!my husband has worked at this place for over 22 years,he’s earned every dollar,how would you like to have your pay cut not 10% not 25% try 48% then be told your going to make $14.00,but with the new contract heres .25 cents extra,We had to sell our other truck to try to cut back now i loose hours from my job,our credit what little we had is gone shut off notices forcloser, and you say we all should be lucky to have a job try dealing with what these men and woman and there familys have delt with,yes we are fortunate to still have a job if thats what you wanna call it we have been dealing with this for 18 long hard months.I SAY NO TO NEW CONTRACT IV’E PERSONALLY HAVE WAITED THIS LONG,I CAN WAIT ANOTHER 18 MONTHS OR HOW EVER LONG IT TAKES(STAY UNITED EVERYONE)SAY NO
]]>By: Family manhttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23442
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:54:42 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23442Mom of 2, I have not walked in your shoes, you have not walked in mine. I have a job where my pay was cut 33% and my seniority stripped from me while those causing this got bonuses. I have given up much of my homelife for the benefit of what used to be a good paying job. I get 1 weekend a month off. That is 3 weekends a month away from my kids. I work all holidays. I cannot watch fireworks with my kids on the 4th of July. I work shiftwork. One week days, the next 2nd and the next midnights. Our pay used to compensate us for our time not to mention the fact that shiftwork can take 10 years off of your life. I work with chemicals that cause cancer or can blow you and the community around you sky high in an instant. I KNOW that I am lucky to have a job but I also KNOW that MPM is spitting in my face while business has been booming. While you are tucking your kids in tonight remember that I am at work wearing a face mask to add chemicals to a kettle to make a good product for a company that raped me not only of money, but of self esteem. I have too many years invested in a plant that used to be my home to just leave. I also have too many years to let them make me feel so useless. Are you really O.K. with what big business and politicians are doing to the working man? Do you really want middle class removed from existance? That leaves rich and poor. Where will you fall?
]]>By: Mom of 2http://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23437
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:24:01 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23437I suppose they should just be lucky at this point that they still have a paying job. Alot of people don’t.
]]>By: Eric Andersonhttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23435
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:59:37 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23435The Supreme Court decision didn’t affect the Momentive case because the board hadn’t yet made any final determination. So the case at this point is still in front of the NLRB.
]]>By: Scotthttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23433
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:33:33 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23433How do we even know that the case is still alive? The US Supreme Court just ruled that all of the decisions made by the NLRB over the last 2 years are not valid because they only had 2 out of 5 members during the hearing. The other 3 are being held up in the confirmation process. If that is the case, then it is definitely in the best interest of the employees to accept a deal that includes a settlement of the proposed case. Otherwise, they may never get paid for what happened in the past.
]]>By: wifehttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23418
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:18:19 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23418I am confused. Momentive offered the back pay only if the new contract is accepted. Isn’t that extortion? There is no way that can be legal. These union workers have been struggling, emptying out their 401k and bank accounts so they wouldn’t lose their houses and cars. They have their backs against the wall. They are desperate for that money that Momentive took from them for the past 18 months – that money that is legally due them. But are only eligible to receive it IF they accept a contract that offers them a $2.00 an hour raise on top of their lowest cut pay rate.
We all watched the workers for the State of New York as they stood strong against a one day a week furlough – getting a court answer immediately against that proposal, but 18 months after Momentive broke a legally bound contract, all these Momentive workers are basically being bullied into accepting a contract that they know is a joke.
What is it those red shirts say? Will strike if provoked? Seriously?
]]>By: nanchttp://blog.timesunion.com/business/morning-ticker-will-rank-and-file-support-momentive-pact/20375/comment-page-1/#comment-23416
Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:06:02 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/business/?p=20375#comment-23416How pathetic!!!! That case should never be dropped!!!! It is a totally different issue and has nothing to do with this contract.What is the matter with the E Board that is supposed to have the best interest of it’s PAYING union members at heart?????? You can see who’s getting paid off!!!!!!
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